Jurong Bird Park in Singapore

I have constantly mentioned on this blog that I was never a fan of animals. I never dreamt of owning my own pet and feeding a silly dog every freaking day. It’s not that I hate dogs or any other animals, I just don’t see myself as a pet owner, that’s all. But the thing is, despite of my hatred for having pets, I have to admit that I’ve always been a fan of zoos. Even if it’s just a trip to the school bird “sanctuary” aka gubat sa parking, I was always game to go. So you would’ve probably guessed how excited I was that we pushed through with the plan to visit Jurong Bird Park! Oh weee! I’ve been there before, and I have to say, every visit is always worth the entrance ticket. For only SG$26, inclusive of a roundtrip ticket for the park panorail, you can spend an entire day from 8AM until 6PM, just walking around the park and looking for those birdies.

First thing you’ll see when you enter would be the macaws from the parrot family. While I was looking at this particular picture of the macaws, I thought they weren’t real, parang clay lang.

But aside from the macaws, one of the first few birds we saw were the penguins. Okay, this is where I got confused. Because of my constant exposure to Batman, Happy Feet and other movies that connected penguins with snow, I found it really weird that there were penguins swimming under the sun. O.O So does this mean penguins can live outside the cold? Malabo. I am yet to research on this one.

 

Walking for a few more miles would get you to the flamingo lake which had, well, flamingos. They looked really pretty with their rosy pink feathers. But did you know that flamingos aren’t born with pink feathers? Yep, the host from the Birds N Buddies show told us flamingos are born with gray feathers that will soon shed to give way to the pink feathers. Pretty cool huh? I wish I was capable of that kind of shedding.

I forgot the names of the birds below, so I don’t think I can say much about them anymore. Hahaha. But I should warn you that if you’re not really the nature or animal planet type of person (like my brother), walking into aviaries might give you a heart attack. There were birds flying above our heads when we entered this little aviary, and my siblings went seriously nuts when they saw 5 or so birds walking by the pathway. I swear, we had to wait for other people/bait before we can move forward from that bird-infested aviary.

Riding the panorail would be best done after lunch if you feel it’s too hot to continue walking. I would suggest riding all the way through so you can view the whole park from some height. It’s good they had a PA system that works as a tour guide to help you locate the birds.

One thing you can’t miss would be the shows! The first one is at around 10AM which features the different birds of prey and how they were used to hunt people. The second and more fun show would be the Birds N Buddies Show which starts at around 11AM, so make sure you’re on time for these shows.

Getting to Jurong Bird Park didn’t seem too hard, even if it was rather long. Imagine passing by 20 or so stations before getting to the bird park, sobrang tagal! But it was pretty convenient that the bus interchange was found inside the mall named Jurong Point and was very easy to understand.

Goodbye John Cena

I thought I’ve lost my title as a Kyther the day I graduated. I was well-aware that I wouldn’t have enough time, enough resources, and probably enough energy to go to the hospitals on weekends to visit the kids in AFP or in NCH. I thought it was to move on, to let go of my job as a Kyther.

I received a text message earlier telling me that John Cena was dead. Normally, any kind of loss in our organization would affect a small group of members, just those who are immediately close to the deceased (I hate this word) Kythe kid. Luckily or unluckily, this time around, I was in that pool of members.

I’ve met John Cena Espedilla two years ago, back when I was still heading Kythe Flying. He was probably 3 or 4 years old then, diagnosed of cancer yes. He was a crowd favorite mainly because he was one of the few kids that were super energetic and were willing to run around Bel Field chasing after the kites. Everyone wanted to hug him and to carry him, and this he willingly agreed to. I was lucky I was given the chance to hold him while we were riding the fire truck. He kept turning his little head while I was carrying him in my arms. He was probably wondering where the siren was coming from. Even then, people would know it’s probably John Cena when they see a little boy hugging and tugging someone’s knees, pulling them to where he wants them to go.

The next time I saw was during Kythe Christmas Party last year, when I was dressed as a cotton candy. In most of the Kythe events, I’m usually the type who likes to stick to one kid for the entire event and just run around with them or sit with them during the program. And on that day, John Cena chose me to be his buddy. Running around on white stockings wasn’t exactly the most fun thing to do, especially on a very humid weather inside a very humid basketball court. But I didn’t mind at all. John Cena and I would go from one booth to another, collecting candies and scooping up fish to get coloring books that we’d bring back to John Cena’s mom who’s sitting at their table. And while everyone’s busy taking photos with celebrities, John Cena and I hurried ourselves into the bouncy castle and jumped with our hands held tight to each other. When it was their table’s turn to get their photo taken with the celebrity family, he didn’t want to leave and would hold me back when I told him we had to go. And for the rest of that afternoon, this little boy built a tiny bubble with me, a tiny candy world that he and I share together.

When the other kids died last year and two years ago, I cried for their family’s loss and for the organization’s loss. I do miss Chinchin. Stanley and Ludwig, but the pangs of John Cena’s death hit me hard. I feel that it has been my loss as that it has been his own family’s loss.

People say it hurts to lose the one you love, but I guess what hurts more is losing them without even being able to fight or even see them for the last time. I miss John Cena. I miss the kids. I miss Kythe and the whole idea of being part of it.

This time around, I'm letting myself be sad, to mourn over this loss,  to give out a huge sigh that this boy is gone forever.

Eternal rest grant upon the soul of John Cena Espedilla oh Lord. 
And let Your perpetual light shine upon him. 
May he rest in peace. 
Amen.

Universal Studios Singapore

I guess right now, any tourist, specifically the Filipino tourist, would say that a visit to Singapore would not be complete with a tour inside Universal Studios.

Back in 2005(?) when we first visited Singapore, Sentosa was still the in thing. We spent an entire day of our 3D/2N trip inside Sentosa alone. I know, time wasted dearly. It’s not that Sentosa Island was not fun, it’s just that everything there looked old and not very child-friendly. So it was sort of a relief to know that we’d focusing on Universal Studios rather than the Butterfly Park or the Merlion.

All aboard to Waterfront Station!

As far as I can remember, Sentosa Express nor VivoCity was already open when we first went to Singapore. And I must say, the monorail was a great convenience for anyone who wants to explore the whole island. For only SG$3, you can already hop in and out of the train to get to your next destination. Plus, it also makes sure to pass by at the other attractions that guests were too tired to walk to. This definitely makes traveling very easy.

We arrived an hour early before the studio gates opened. Good thing they were already selling tickets and the line was not very long. So while waiting, we walked around the rest of Resorts World.

 Hershey's Chocolate World

 

 Ang saya nya eh no

As mentioned, we got to Sentosa very early, but I tell you, this proves to be a great advantage – especially if you plan on riding all the rides. When the gates opened, everyone seemed to running, but we didn’t know where. :-s We walked for a while and ended up in Sci-Fi City, the home of Battlestar Galactica!

 

There was no line at all! We left our bags inside the lockers and raced to the entrance of the ride of the Human/red version of the roller coaster. The disclaimer proves to be true; it really was an exhilarating and scary shit ride. I was so dizzy right after. But I was expecting more hoops than loops though. It was even more fun to see the Cylon/blue line of the roller coaster. We were too dizzy to ride this one right after the red one, and so decided to come back just before we leave. But of course, when we went back around lunch time, the line was so freakin’ long! No way we’re gonna wait for that ride.

The Legend of the Mummy ride was just as scary as Battlestar Galactica. I would say the former gave more adrenaline rush because it was super dark! If there’s something I’m really terrified of, it’s running at an enormous speed and not knowing where you’re headed because it’s pitch black.

But aside from the rides, we also enjoyed watching the different shows like Waterworld, Monster Rock and Shrek’s 4D show. Waterworld and Shrek in 4D were the same ones I’ve seen in Universal Studios in the States. Well, except for the Asian English accent of the studio guide of course.

 

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And just walking around the whole theme park was fun. I’ve always been a fan of theme parks. There’s just something about the fake trees, fake facades of building and houses that make the place even more magical.

 

 

 

I would write some more about Sentosa Island, but nah. I didn’t have that much fun in that place. My imagination still lingers in Universal Studios.

So Much To Eat In Singapore

One of the supposed highlights of the Singapore trip for me was to try the local food. I seriously searched for the restaurants or stalls to visit and how to get from one hawker center to another. Hawker centers are very popular in Singapore, not just for tourists. A hawker center is basically a food court when compared to the Philippine context. But I guess what makes the hawker centers a bit different is that the stalls are more organized. Hawker centers can be found everywhere in the city. There’s one in Chinatown Complex, another one near Orchard Road called Newton Circus Food Center, and the more famous Lau Pa Sat Festival Market.

Sadly, I never got to go to these places I just mentioned. I knoooow! It’s the saddest thing. My sister tried to make me feel better by saying that Food Republic found at Wisma Atria and 313@Sommerset (both found along Orchard) are also hawker centers, only cleaner and with air condition. Although Food Republic can be considered a hawker center, I would have wanted to eat at an authentic hawker center that’s smoky, dirty and sticky.

 Duck noodles

 Black Pepper Chicken with Hand-pulled Noodles

 Seafood Noodles

Something like Pork Asado over noodles 

This reminds me of the 2 viand + 1 gulay found in the likes of Kamay Kainan 

Polonchay on the side 

 Hainanese Chicken Rice

 Xiao Long Bao

But what saved me from the hawker center despair was the local ice cream that’s being sold everywhere. I super loved the ice cream sandwiches! For only SG$1 or roughly 35 pesos, you can enjoy this huge ice cream bar sandwiched by thin wafers or a rainbow loaf. I can call it dirty ice cream since it’s being sold on the street and the ice cream man isn’t really the most hygienic person, but I tell you, the Pinoy dirty ice cream is not to be compared to Singaporean dirty ice cream. I mean, I love our local dirty ice cream, but the one from Singapore doesn’t taste like coconut milk. I mean seriously, wala naman Macadamia Chocolate or Praline Mocha flavor in our mamang sorbetero carts right?

 Mint Chocolate Chip

 Chocolate (boring)

 

We also tried the different restaurants found inside Jurong Bird Park and Universal Studios. I love buying food inside theme parks, especially the ones sold on the carts. Inside Universal Studios, we grabbed a quick bite at Fossil Fuels. Pretty witty for a snack bar right? Especially if I tell you that it’s found inside The Lost World, where Jurassic Park is also located.

 

My sister and I ordered Junior Dino nuggets which included a free lunch box for every meal. The nuggets were cutely shaped into dinosaur but tasted like Purefood chicken nuggets, or something even more bland. The fries were just okay.

My brother got the Fossil Fuel hotdog sandwich. I’m not sure how it tasted, but it looked like a Jolly hotdog to me. HAHA.

See what I mean about the Jolly Hotdog from Jollibee?

When we went to Jurong Bird Park, we decided to have lunch at Bongo Burgers. This time, my brother and I got the Bongo Beef Burger while my younger sister got the Barbeque Chicken Burger. The burger itself was okay, very filling, but it doesn’t seem worth the 500 pesos. The fries and salsa dip however saved the meal for us.

 

 

Although theme park food can be yummy, the biggest downside is that the restaurants tend to charge so much. This is to be expected since there weren’t really a lot of options to choose from. But seriously, they charge way too much on their food.

And finally, the reason why I was not able to fulfill my hawker dream was because my siblings always wanted to eat at the fast food chains. We ate at McDonald’s, KFC and Burger King. I understand that they want to go to these safer places, I also want to see what they offer that aren’t available in our country. But seriously? McDo almost every meal was not so fun in Singapore.

 

 

I would go back to Singapore if you’d bribe me with free local food. I swear you that.